Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Times says that Wilson is a prime example of an NFL-ready rookie quarterback, “That he earned that spot is about more than just Wilson’s ambition. It reflects a change in the league as a whole as NFL teams are increasingly willing to start rookies from Day 1. That was the case last year with Cam Newton in Carolina and Andy Dalton in Cincinnati, who became the sixth and seventh rookie quarterbacks to start Week 1 in the previous four seasons. That matched the total number from the 10 years combined (see chart). This year, Wilson is one of five rookies expected to start at quarterback in the season opener, the most of any NFL season. Whether it’s Andrew Luck in Indianapolis or Robert Griffin III in Washington, Ryan Tannehill in Miami or Brandon Weeden in Cleveland, rookie quarterbacks are standing front and (under) center sooner than ever before.”

Eric Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune catches up with Wilson’s roommate, Robert Turbin, who was not surprised at the news that Wilson had earning the starting QB job, “Turbin, the running back, was not surprised when his roommate, the quarterback, was announced as the winner of Seattle’s highly contested quarterback competition on Sunday. Turbin said he texted Wilson congratulations when he heard the news on TV. ‘He puts in a lot of hard work, man,’ Turbin said. ‘And he deserved to be the starter. He earned it. And I told him that I got his back for a whole career.’ Turbin said that he and Wilson have similar viewpoints, and both practice visualizing their goals in order to achieve them. We definitely talk,’ Turbin said. ‘We talk about a lot of our goals that we have, not only for ourselves, but as a quarterback-running back tandem, and also as a team. In order to do great things you’ve got to dream those things. You’ve got to make those things a goal. You can never have a goal too big – something that’s impossible. He and I believe there’s always a possibility. Somehow, some way you can get it done.’ ”

Dave Boling of the Tacoma News Tribune calls Carroll’s decision of Wilson as the starting quarterback ‘the right choice’, “Wilson gave Carroll absolutely no choice in the matter. He latched onto this job and made it his own. This competition was a high-profile test case of the Pete Carroll Meritocracy. Its motto: The Best Player Plays. And that’s regardless of draft status, contract situation or political expediency. That’s not insignificant. For a coach who goes into his third season without a winning record, there are risks in starting a rookie at quarterback rather than a veteran. But the risk in not going with Wilson was greater — because it would reveal his fundamental philosophy as a sham. That’s how convincingly Russell Wilson earned this job. And everybody on the staff, and surely most of the players on the field, know it.”

John Boyle of the Everett Herald tells us Wilson wants to make the most of this opportunity, “A day after being named the starter, Wilson used the word great quite a bit when talking about his expectations for himself and the team. Wilson may be a rookie, and a third-round pick at that, but it is clear he doesn’t plan on using his inexperience as an excuse. ‘Even though I’m a rookie, I believe I can help this team win and do great things,” Wilson said. “… My goal every time I step out on the football field is to be great. I’m never afraid to excel, that’s the way I’ll always be every opportunity I get.’ ”

Bill Swartz of mynorthwest.com has his report from Monday’s practice session, noting that Flynn was able to throw the football after sitting out the team’s third preseason at Kansas City, “Matt Flynn did some light throwing at the beginning of practice, then watched the second half with ice on his right elbow. Carroll expects Flynn to do more passing Tuesday and Wednesday with a goal of playing some Thursday night against Oakland.”

Brock Huard of mynorthwest.com tells us how Matt Flynn can respond to losing the quarterback competition in this short video.

Doug Farrar of YahooSports.com points to the play Braylon Edwards as one of the reasons the team let go of veteran Terrell Owens, and that the decision had nothing to do with Owens’ presumed attitude problems, “Both players showed some potential, but Edwards made his case more forcefully from the start. Arriving in Seattle in the very early morning of July 31 with a one-year deal in hand, Edwards hot the practice field the same say, wrestled with Seattle’s hyper-aggressive cornerbacks, and developed a chemistry with rookie quarterback Russell Wilson. Owens came in a week later, looked to be in monster shape, and impressed in early practices. But while Edwards was catching bombs from Wilson in preseason games, Owens struggled with the timing and parlance of an offense he should have known in his sleep. He missed out on five targeted passes from quarterback Matt Flynn in his Week 2 debut against the Denver Broncos, and whiffed on two more balls from Wilson in a rout of the Kansas City Chiefs last Friday.”

Dan Wetzel of YahooSports.com reflects on the competition that Carroll preached while at USC, and looks how it has effectively translated to the NFL with the decision to start Wilson at quarterback, “Wilson, out of Wisconsin, has been terrific. He’s completed 35 of 52 passes (67.3 percent) for 464 yards, five TDs and one interception in three preseason games. He’s also run for 150 yards on 10 scrambles. Not bad for a guy who just over a year ago was a failing minor league baseball prospect in search of a second chance at football. He found it in Madison, Wis., where he excelled in leading the Badgers back to the Rose Bowl. Perhaps more telling, however, was his presence in the locker room. The North Carolina State transfer was named a captain within weeks of arriving on campus. Wilson’s complete package began winning over Carroll and Schneider before the draft. They took Wilson 75th overall, even though he measured just 5-foot-10 and didn’t posses all sorts of the prototypical features of a NFL QB. They then grew even more impressed in minicamps and over the summer. If Carroll, now 60, vowed to duplicate what he did right at USC in his return trip to the NFL, then there was no way he could sit Wilson in the opener against Arizona. ‘This is an extraordinary kid,’ Carroll said. ‘He just kept knocking us out with what he brought.’ ”

Mike Sando of ESPN.com takes a look at the age ranks around the NFL, noting that with the losses of veterans like linebacker Barrett Ruud, offensive tackle Alex Barron, offensive guard Deuce Lutui, and wide receiver Terrell Owens, the Seahawks have gotten younger across the board.